Thumbs -- Published Nov. 6, 2012

» Half of the voters younger than 30 aren't even certain they're registered to vote, the lowest level in 16 years.

» Just 48 percent of voters younger than 30 say they'll definitely vote in today's election, down from 72 percent four years ago.

There are a lot of reasons, researchers say: waning enthusiasm for the first black president and less anger over the nation's wars since one has ended and the second is ending.

But the lack of participation by voters younger than 30 shows a considerable generational blindness to how their votes might shape the nation years after their youthful days are past.

Of course, many Americans have little interest in voting, whether from feelings of powerlessness - "My vote doesn't matter anyway" - or apathy born out of the knowledge that we've always had free elections. We simply don't appreciate what we've always had.

Votes matter. Elections matter. Today's election really matters. One example: Whoever occupies the White House for the next four years likely will make at least one nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, a court that on many of the most controversial issues has split 5-4. The high court's decisions have a way of staying with us for decades.

THUMBS UPTens of thousands of San Joaquin County residents do not have health insurance. Among other things, that means many live with chronic but highly treatable conditions they might not even know they have.

University of the Pacific and Kaiser Permanente have teamed up to help, announcing a health fair in March with a goal of serving 750 county residents who otherwise would not be able to afford medical care.

Kaiser has donated more than $73,000 - the amount Pacific planners budgeted for the event - part of $1.4 million Kaiser has invested in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties this year from its community benefit fund.

There will be a lot of winners from this. Certainly those receiving needed medical screening and care are among them. So are Pacific students who will get hands-on experience.

THUMBS UPCoca-Cola is putting its money where its water is with a $200,000 donation to help restore fragile mountain meadows in the Indian Valley area nine miles southwest of Carson Pass in the Mokelumne watershed.

Water from there flows westward and some of it ends up as beverages in Coke bottles at its San Leandro plant 170 miles from the Sierra Nevada meadows where it starts.

By restoring the meadows, more snowfall will be soaked up and released slowly during the dry season rather than gushing toward the sea during the spring snowmelt.

For Coke, restoring the meadow is part of its long-term goal of being "water neutral" by 2020.

We all have our reasons for doing what we do. In this case Coke's action lines up well with those who want to preserve and protect fragile high mountain meadows few ever see but to which all of us are linked.

THUMBS DOWNCorporations buy and sell each other all the time and most of us don't give the news much thought. But the shuffling of brand names and assets means something to the 128 workers at the Stockton Sara Lee bakery. It means they will lose their jobs when the plant shuts down Nov. 21.

The Sara Lee Fresh Bakery business, including the plant here, was sold last year to Bimbo Bakeries USA, a division of Mexico's Grupo Bimbo. Bimbo was then required by regulators to sell its license rights to the Sara Lee and EarthGrains brands in California.

A Georgia company, Flowers Foods Inc., acquired the trademark rights and other assets, including the Stockton bakery on South Airport Way.

Bimbo officials said closing the Stockton plant was mandatory. Flowers officials did not respond to questions about plans for the plant or its soon-to-be-displaced workers.

So the next time you read a story about corporate shuffling, think about the 128 area residents who today are left to wonder what it means to them.